Charlotte Hornets climbing NBA power rankings
After going 2-1 in the third week of the season, the Charlotte Hornets have moved up to 12th on NBA.com’s power rankings.
It’s nice to see the Charlotte Hornets getting some praise and some recognition from John Schuhmann, who slated the team at 12th in this weeks NBA.com power rankings. Charlotte was ranked 16th last week, but wins over Miami and Cleveland have pushed them up the ladder.
In week four of the NBA season, Charlotte will host the Atlanta Hawks before beginning a three-game road trip which includes stops in Philadelphia and Detroit. It’s going to be a challenge for the Hornets, but they have a team assembled that can compete with anyone in the league.
The play of Tony Parker is one reason as to why the Hornets have moved up in the power rankings. Parker has given the Hornets some stellar play of the bench and will continue to be a huge piece to the team’s success moving forward.
Parker averaged 17.6 points, 6.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds for the Hornets in week three of the season. He also averaged 22.0 minutes during that stretch.
Charlotte currently ranks second in offensive rating (115.1), trailing only the reigning NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors. The defense hasn’t been too bad, either. The Hornets rank 12th (107.7) in that department. The team scored 119.3 points per game in week three, and gave up an average of 106.0 points.
The Hornets currently have a higher defensive rating than the Utah Jazz, who had the best defensive rating last season. Charlotte also currently ranks ahead of San Antonio and Miami, who were both in the top-10 last season.
Most teams are still adjusting to some of the new rules put in place by the NBA, most notably, the “freedom of movement” rule. This rule means you cannot be clutching or grabbing while off-ball. It has been emphasized emphatically so far this year.
Teams have been suffering defensively due to the referee’s focus on freedom of movement. Regardless, the Hornets have multiple defensive weapons and should be a mid-tier defensive team all season long.
Things are looking up in Buzz City, and the fans have reason to be excited about the play of this team. They may currently own a record of 5-5, but they have the talent it to make the postseason, they are well-coached, and are only getting better.
Hot. Ranking the Charlotte Hornets’ top-5 centers of All-Time. light
Time will tell if the Hornets can make another jump in the power rankings. Check back next week for an update on Charlotte’s positioning.